A Sassy Cup of Coffee
by Ella M. Nite
Summary: Sam needs to work in a local coffee house to help pay for his schooling, and while working there he comes across a trench coat wearing stranger who is determined to like coffee (even though he hates it) and seems as reluctant to talk about his past as Sam is. Coffee House AU, College AU
1. Medium Coffee, Black

****_AN: A return to my roots! Some Supernatural for everyone to enjoy. Written for sassy_minibang 2012 over on livejournal. _

* * *

**Part One: Medium Coffee, Black**

"Welcome to Perks, what can I get for you?" Sam asks, barely looking up as he throws the old coffee bins away and passes the empty filter back to Jess to fill. Jess gives him a wide-eyed look and pointedly glances at the costumer. Confused, Sam looks over and ... it's him.

Trench coat guy has been sitting in the cramped coffee house since Sam started a month back. The manager had been getting more and more annoyed at the guy, since he never seemed to buy anything. Trench Coat only ever watched people, tilting his head to the side as he observed people getting their caffeine fix.

"Sir, can I help you?" Sam asks, as Trench Coat kept staring at him, making no move to order despite the growing line behind him.

"People get coffee here," the man finally says, his voice deep and gruff.

"Yes," Sam says slowly. He wondered if there is something wrong with Trench Coat. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Why do people get coffee?" Trench Coat asks.

"Um, because it tastes good and sometimes you just need the caffeine?" Sam struggles to answer. Jess is laughing beside him and it's just further proof that she's a horrible person deep down.

"I think I would l like to try some." The man shows no emotions. It's such a robotic response that Sam starts to wonder if that is what the man had been doing over the past month; just sitting and trying to decide whether to try some coffee or not.

"Okay, what type of coffee?" Sam asks.

"Coffee."

"Yes, but see there are types, um if it's your first one you probably don't want it too strong," Sam advised, thinking of the time Dean had force-fed him the left over dregs of the coffee from their motel room and how it had been so strong and bitter it had put him off for years. Memories of Dean still held all the pain of a fresh wound and, as had been necessary several times over since Sam had started at Stanford, he forced himself back to the present, putting all thoughts of his brother behind him. "I can put some cream and sugar into it, so it's not too bitter. How much would you like?"

"I just want coffee," Trench Coat demanded. "People drink coffee."

"Okay," Sam says, quickly putting together a medium blend that isn't too black and gave Trench Coat the cup. The man is man already had the exact change ready on the countertop. Instead of leaving the counter, though, he tossed off the lid and chugged the liquid down in front of Sam. After the full, very hot coffee is finished, Trench Coat firmly placed the cup back on the counter and stared at Sam. Sam does not know what to think.

"That is disgusting," Trench Coat frowned, very perplexed as he stared down at the empty cup. "Why do people drink coffee?"

"It just takes some getting used to," Sam managed to say through his shock.

"Oh," Trench Coat says, before turning on his heel and marching out of the coffee house.

"So, he's odd." Jess commented, reaching around Sam to grab the empty cup.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"Think he'll be back in?"

"Nah. I mean- I don't think he really liked the coffee."

* * *

Sam is wrong. Trench Coat man came back the following day. Sam saw him waiting in line. He stood out from the usual crowd; Perks is most frequented by students, and while there were a huge majority that came from money, or at least seemed to- compared to the rough-and-ready way Sam is used to living- the going fashion choice were study-friendly super comfortable sweaters and university lingo-ed outfits. Trench coats stood out, and a nice suit under it? Also unheard of.

"Are you going to try some coffee again?" Sam asks as soon as Trench Coat got up to the counter.

"You say it takes some getting used to." Trench Coat reminded him, putting his change on the counter as if this is some sort of high stakes poker game. The man is completely serious. Silently, Sam watches as the man once again takes the coffee, downs it in one go, grimaces and stalks away from the counter out the front door.

The next four shifts were exactly the same.

_Trench Coat is asking after you. Something I should know?_

Sam rubbed his eyes blearily and reread the text to make sure he'd actually read it right. Jess rarely bothered him when she knew an essay is due the next day.

**_Just give him whatever medium blend we have. he likes to down it like a shot  
ps completely ready to kill this txt book _**

_Why does he keep coming if he hates coffee? And you cant kill the txt book because you can't afford the replacement. _

_**Why are you so sensible? **_

_Because one of us has to be? xo _

* * *

Halloween is approaching, and as Sam sees more and more costumes and candy coming out, he feels a bitter resentment growing. Two guys in his class start a debate over what is cooler, a werewolf or a vampire. Sam wants to punch them both; neither is cooler. They are bloodthirsty killing machines that would rip apart families and tear their lungs out with joy. There shouldn't be a holiday to celebrate the one thing that has torn his family to shreds.

His way of dealing with it is to bury himself in work; long hours in the library and taking every shift available at Perks. He focuses on course work; on his readings; on serving coffee for hours on end to the groggy student population. The exciting part of the shift is when Trench Coat would come in. Despite almost a month of constant coffee drinking he still hadn't found any he really liked and yet he kept on appearing.

Today, just a week before Halloween, Sam is just about to start his break when he sees the familiar trench coat sweep through the door. Quickly pouring a cup of coffee, he walks out and hands the cup to the guy.

"It is custom for me to pay for this." Trench Coat stated, looking perplexed at this unexpected turn of events.

"Yeah, well, this one is on the house." Sam says, smiling at the man's obvious confusion. Sam isn't sure if he is showing more emotion or if, after all these weeks, he is finally getting better at reading him. Either way it is nice to finally see the crack in that impenetrable armour.

"I do not understand." the man frowned.

"It's free, this one, don't worry about it." Sam wondered if he is foreign, but he doesn't seem to have an accent or any trouble with the English language. His voice is oddly low and rumble-y, but if that is an accent and there is a place on Earth where everyone spoke like that ... well, that would be very weird.

"Why aren't you behind the counter?" Trench Coat demanded.

"I'm on my break. You can join me if you like?" Sam suggested, kicking himself mentally. It isn't that Sam is anti-social, but a life growing up on the road had not raised him to be adept at making friends. Since starting university his only real friend had been Jess, whom he had met during Freshers' Week, as she lived right next to him in residence. She had seen him move in with no family to help him, and had never asks or tried to pry information out of him. Still- Sam hadn't gone out of his way to befriend anyone.

"I will join you." Trench Coat stated, following awkwardly behind Sam as he made his way over to his favourite spot. The comfy, worn chairs were pushed into the alcove of the coffee shop, next to a large bank of windows. Perks is in an old house, which had been remodelled and decorated in bright, vibrant colours. Each table is painted a solid colour, with rainbows and funny sayings and doodles making for a laid back atmosphere. Dean would have hated it.

Sam takes a sip of his water, grabbing the huge cookie the cook loved to make and crumbling it into small, bite sized pieces. Trench Coat watched him. Not sure what to say, Sam carefully chewed each piece.

"So, um, I'm Sam," Sam says.

"I know."

Apparently conversation is out of the question.

"What's your name?"

"Castiel."

"That's different." Sam says.

"My father gave it to me." Trench coat told him. That is it; no story about why his father had given him such a strange name and Sam is left with nothing really to say.

By the time Sam had finished his cookie, he glances at the clock and realizes there is still another five minutes to his break. It is the longest break in the history of work breaks. Castiel doesn't seem bothered by the awkward silence between strangers; he simply stares at Sam as if dissecting him as easily as Sam had torn apart his cookie.

"Well, I better get back to work," Sam lied.

Getting away as fast as possible, Sam quickly made his way back behind the counter.

"So, you and Trench Coat, huh?" Jess teased him, smirking as she skilfully twirled the whipped cream on a pumpkin latte.

"His name is Castiel." Sam says, watching as the familiar trench coat swept out of the coffee shop.

"Did you get his number?" Jess asks, nudging Sam in the side and laughing as he spluttered.

"He barely says two words." Sam complained.

"Still, the way he is looking at you ..." Jess teased. "He looks ready to gobble you up, or, well, part of you at least..."

Blushing slightly, Sam shrugged."He stares at everyone like that."

"Maybe you can get his number next time you take a break with him." Jess suggested.

"Why would I ever do that again? It is the most awkward ten minutes of my life."

* * *

Only it isn't the last time Castiel joins Sam during his break. Over the next few weeks there are a number of times when Sam looks up and sees the trench coat swoop in front of him. Castiel doesn't even ask if he can join Sam anymore- simply takes the seat next to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Sam doesn't fight it. He makes sure Castiel's coffee is ready for him, made the way he always orders it even though he hates it.

They aren't friends. After all; Sam knows nothing about Castiel and Castiel knows nothing about him. They are just two strangers who sit and sip their coffee, listening to some indie-folk song play from the radio behind the counter.

Sam has managed to convince Castiel to drink his coffee slower, and even though he grimaces with every sip, it makes the long silences less awkward. For which Sam is very grateful.

"So where are you from?" Sam asks, looking up from his assigned readings to glance at the stoic man across from him. It's their fifth time on break together and Castiel still stares at him as if he were reading a fascinating, if slightly bewildering, book.

"Far away." is all Castiel says. He doesn't ask where Sam is from, and Sam isn't sure if he is relieved that he doesn't need to lie, or if he is upset that Castiel doesn't seem to care.

It's a strange relationship they develop.

They are sitting at their favourite window seats when Sam gets a glimpse of a black impala turning the corner and driving away. It's a kick in the gut and Sam feels all the breath leave him. Suddenly every repressed emotion and memory comes flooding back and the keen sense of loss overwhelms him.

"Are you okay?" Castiel asks. Sam can't even look at him, blinking away the tears and trying to calm his anxious heart beat, Sam just nods. "You seem upset."

"I'm fine. Just thought I saw something that's all," Sam says, finally feeling calm enough to face Castiel's impassive face. Sam is surprised to see Castiel's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm fine."

Castiel tilts his head and continues staring. Sam turns away from him because he doesn't want anyone to know. No one can know that his own family had abandoned him. That they had turned their backs on him; disowned him for going to school and pursuing his dreams.

A phone rings and Sam is surprised to notice it is Castiel's. He had never seen the other man with a cell phone before.

"Hello?" he answers. "Yes... Yes... Yes..."

Castiel hangs up his phone.

"Who is that?" Sam asks, curious and happy to think of something other than the Impala and who might have been driving it.

"My brother, Gabriel," Castiel says.

"I didn't realize you had a brother."

"I have lots of brothers, and sisters."

"How many?"

"Hundreds."

Sam throws his head back and laughs, "So a big family then?"

"Yes."

Castiel fidgets suddenly with his trench coat, a very emotional move from someone who seems so disconnected. Sam watches the fingers twitch in fascination.

"Gabriel," Castiel finally starts to say, "has been helping me out recently."

Sam wants to ask for more, but then he thinks of how Castiel had not pressured him to talk about what had upset him earlier and really- he doesn't actually know the man at all other than that he drinks coffee he hates and that he seems to have only one set of clothing. So Sam doesn't ask, choosing to let both of them hide behind the silence.

* * *

There's a pounding on his dorm room door. On the other side is Jess, in sweats, hair in a messy ponytail and several coolers in one hand. Sliding past Sam, she jumps onto the bed and passes Sam a cooler. Dean would never drink such a girly drink, but he's not Dean and it's Jess, so he lets himself enjoy the sickly sweet beverage.

"We should have a Buffy marathon." Jess says, sitting beside him on the single cot that was shoved into his dorm room.

"Yeah," Sam mutters, still not used to being able to admit to liking shows like that without being mocked.

"So, how's Castiel doing?" Jess asks.

"How would I know?"

"I don't know, maybe because you've been going on every break with him for the past month," Jess says. "Seriously though, he's kind of hot and he is definitely interested, and you should completely put a move on him."

"What makes you think I would even be interested?" Sam asks defensively. He can feel the defensive walls coming up; a lifetime of hiding who he is because it isn't something that would ever be acceptable for a hunter. If the others had known about his ... preferences it would not have been good. He can't even imagine what Dean would say. Or his father.

"Because you aren't blind and he's hot." Jess teases.

"I never said I was gay." Sam snaps.

"Whoa, I ... guess not, sorry, I ..." Jess looks down, not able to meet his glare.

Feeling guilty, Sam stared at his fruity cooler.

"Are you?" Jess asks tentatively.

"Am I what?" Sam asks.

"Are you gay?"

Sam feels his stomach tighten and clench painfully as his heart goes into overdrive. It's on the tip of his tongue to say no- to laugh it off and talk about women and how he and his brother used to pick up chicks all the time, but this is Jess, who had barged into his life and turned everything around, who made the loss of his family so much easier by being his first friend ... ever. He can't lie to her. Not anymore than he already is.

"Yes." Sam whispers, his voice hoarse as though it hasn't been used.

"Are you okay?" Jess asks quietly.

"No."

"Hey, come here." Jess wraps her arms around him and Sam lets himself be engulfed in a hug so warm and comforting, he wonders if anyone had ever held him this way since he is six months old. Even though he's a hunter and had faced monsters most people would never believe in, right in that moment he feels protected by Jess' slender arms. "It's okay. It's fine to like guys. Hell, I like them too. I'm sorry for pushing Trench Coat on you. I just want you to be happy and I hate that you are always alone."

"I'm not alone," Sam says, leaning back a bit and away from Jess' hug. "I have you."

"You'll always have me," Jess promises. "You would be a mess without me."

"So you think Castiel is into me?" Sam says, trying to get back to the focus of the situation.

"He would have to be an idiot not to be," Jess says, nudging his arm lightly and smiling encouragingly. "And if you need help with that, I promise to always be available as a wing man."

Sam laughs and takes a gulp from the coolers.

Despite Jess' ongoing insistence that Castiel is in fact secretly lusting after Sam, nothing seems to really be changing since coming out for the first time. The world doesn't end; Jess doesn't treat him any differently and Castiel still turns up as if he has a sixth sense for when Sam's breaks were and they sit in companionable silence and enjoy their cups of coffee.


	2. Skinny Latte

****_AN: And the story continues! Enjoy! - Ella_

* * *

**Part Two: Skinny Latte**

Sam first brings something other than the regular coffee to Castiel the week before Thanksgiving. It has a shot of caramel flavoring in it and he's eager to see if he can make Castiel's coffee a bit more enjoyable for the poor man.

"This is not what you bring." Castiel says, staring down at the hot beverage after he takes a sip. "Why isn't this my regular coffee?"

"I thought you might like this one a bit better," Sam says. "It's just something a bit sweeter."

"It's still coffee?" Castiel asks, staring at his cup in complete confusion.

"Yeah, like I says- it just has a bit of sugar and flavouring in it." Sam explains, smiling fondly as Castiel raises the mug and takes another tentative sip. "So, is it better?"

"I do not understand why people drink these beverages," Castiel complains, "but this one is a bit better I suppose."

Sam nods and takes out his English essay that is due soon. He's just marking another grammar mistake and circling something he'll need to find a citation for in his notes back home, when Castiel leans forward and stares down at the essay.

"This is good." Castiel says, and Sam can't help but feel a bit defensive at the tone of surprise.

"Thanks," Sam mutters. "I'm only really here because of the scholarship, you know. How about you? What courses are you in?"

"I am not a student," Castiel says, his eyes never leaving the page as he reads Sam's work.

"Oh, are you from the area then?" Sam asks, intrigued to learn more about his friend.

"No."

Sam waits, but Castiel does not seem to be about to expand on the subject.

"So, what are you doing here? Did you get a job here or something?" Sam can't help but ask- a strange desire to learn more about Castiel. It had nothing to do with Jess' new obsession over getting the two of them together.

"My brother is ... a janitor, at the university," Castiel says, frowning slightly. Sam wonders if he feels embarrassed that his brother is a janitor. Sam doesn't care though; hell his brother got all his money on credit card scams. He is the last person to judge other people.

"So you are staying with him," Sam comments.

"Yes. He took me in after I was cast out," Castiel says softly.

There is a soft beat of silence as the university crowd in the coffee shop continued to mill around them, an endless background noise. Sam feels his heart catch on those words and he watches the other man with wide eyes. His father's words came back to him with sudden, painful clarity. "If you walk out that door, don't you ever come back."

"I'm sorry." Sam says, reaching out to grab Castiel's shoulder, hoping he can convey how much he understood without needing to say anything. Castiel just stares at him again, as if he were a curious creature Castiel doesn't fully understand, but Sam keeps his hand there and gives a small squeeze before letting go.

"They told me I got too attached, that I was too emotional," Castiel says, almost against his better judgement, as if he can't help but explain more when confronted with Sam's sympathy.

"Geez, Castiel if they thought you were too emotional ..." Sam gapes. From what Sam has seen, Castiel is the farthest from too emotional. The man is the Mr. Spock of emotions. "They're crazy. You're not ... you're fine."

"Thank you."

Castiel goes back to drinking his coffee.

"This is much better, what else do ... people put in this?" Castiel asks as Sam starts to pack up near the end of his break.

"All sorts of things," Sam smiles. "I'll bring a new one tomorrow if you like."

"I think I would. Thank you Sam."

* * *

So began the ritual that Sam would try a new drink with Castiel every day, or every other day depending on his work schedule. He quickly finds out that Castiel does not like anything with mint in it, but can't get enough of caramel and spiced drinks.

During a skinny latte with a caramel drizzle that Castiel practically purrs over like an overly content feline, Sam learns that Jess has decided to take matters into her own hands.

As Sam entertains Castiel with stories about his obnoxious and boring psychology professor, including overly fake accents which always make Castiel smile. Those small smiles are better than winning the lottery and just as rare, so Sam takes great pleasure in bringing that soft, small tilt to Castiel's lips and sees it as a personal conquest. There he is, basking in the glow of another perfect mid-December day, no exam tomorrow, Christmas lights on the windows, and Castiel smiling at him.

"Hey Sam!" Jess says, pulling up a chair from beside them and plopping down at the table.

Castiel looks startled, as he always does when anything in his routine changes unexpectedly.

"You must be Castiel- Sam has told me so much about you." Jess gushed, leaning over to give Castiel a big hug. "I hope you can help me convince Sam to go to the Christmas bash with all the pre-law students."

"How can I help with that?" Castiel asks, still looking uncomfortable.

"Well, it's next week, and maybe if you came with him, he wouldn't feel so self-conscious about going." Jess suggested.

"I'm not much of a partygoer..." Castiel says.

"Oh, it's all pre-Law students," Jess waves her hand absently, and Sam wishes he could shut her up but he seems to be frozen in shock. "Sam wants you to go, don't you Sam?"

"I ..." Sam splutters. What is he supposed to do now? Of course he wants Castiel to go; it would make the whole evening bearable. However he can't exactly ask him without it sounding like a date, and despite Jess' efforts, Sam isn't ready to date a guy. One look at Castiel's big blue eyes staring at him so guilelessly and Sam can feel himself melting. "Of course I want you to be there."

"I guess I can go then," Castiel nods, looking resigned as if they had just convinced him to sign up to the Front Lines.

"Excellent, where's your phone?" Jess asks, holding out a hand. Castiel shoots a panicked look at Sam, who shrugs helplessly. It isn't like he can control Jess when she gets like this. Castiel is hesitant handing over his cell. Jess just grabs it and Sam can see her entering his cell phone number and her own one. "There you go- now you can text us whenever you want. Well- that's my job done! Great to finally talk to you besides the normal coffee order."

With that Jess leaves as quickly as she had intruded. Sam isn't sure if he wanted to kiss or throttle her.

"You don't have to," Sam says. "I mean, if you really don't want to, then you don't have to come to the party."

"Do you not want me to be there?"

"What? No, of course I want you there. You're one of my only two friends here," Sam says bitterly.

"I'm your friend?" Castiel asks, and he looks oddly pleased with himself.

"Of course you are," Sam says, fidgeting slightly in his seat.

"I suppose you would be my friend as well then," Castiel says seriously. "That is how it works, correct?"

"Not necessarily, I just ... you don't need to think of me as a friend just because I think of you as friend." Sam blushes and wishes he could let the ground swallow him whole, because this is turning into a conversation even more uncomfortable than the time Dean had tried to teach Sam about sex.

"Do you not want me to think of you as a friend?"

"No, I would love it if you thought of me as a friend, I just want to make sure you actually feel that way and not because you think you have to," Sam tries to explain.

"Oh," Castiel says. "Then I guess we are friends."

Smiling down into his lap, he can't help but laugh slightly. "How's the latte?"

"Much better, I think I might be liking these even better then the cafe mochas."

"Then you'll love tomorrow," Sam promises. "I have a brand new latte I want you to try."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

"You can thank me by naming your first adopted baby after me," Jess tells him later that day. "Jessica for a girl, just Jesse for a boy. You're lucky I have such a unisex name."

"I could throttle you." Sam threatens, but since he's seated on the floor, letting Jess put his hair in little pony tails as they watch Buffy, he guesses it doesn't come out nearly as threatening as he'd hoped. Indeed; Jess just laughs as she put another bright pink elastic in his hair, pulling at the scalp.

"Well, honestly, I think I've seen glaciers move faster than the two of you." Jess complains. "I swear to god- if I am forced to watch the two of you make moon eyes at each other one more time, I will kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try." Sam snorts, before yelping as Jess tugs a strand of his hair viciously.

"Are you really going to sit there and try to convince me that you are not even slightly interested in him?" Jess asks.

Unable to lie so boldly to Jess, but not willing to admit it, Sam sits in resolute silence- his eyes glued to the highly unrealistic staking of another Vampire. Seriously; everyone knew you had to behead those suckers.

"I just want you to be happy Sam," Jess sighs. "And he makes you happy. Don't think I haven't noticed how long your breaks have gotten, or the fact that you're taking on more and more shifts at Perks. At the very least I think it would do both of you good to meet somewhere other than the coffee shop."

"It would be nice to have someone with me when I have to go the dinner party." Sam acquiesced.

"Thank you Jess, you're the best," Jess says in a gruff voice, causing Sam to laugh.

* * *

_Sa4m?/_

**_This is Sam, who is this?_**

_Ca2stutiel./_

**_... Castiel? What's up?_**

_I dotr9nt like The buttons 1re too close_

**_Then just call me. :)_**

"Sam?"

"Castiel?" Sam asks, trying not to laugh at his friend's obvious unfamiliarity with cell phones and his frustrations. Sure enough, before anything else, Castiel can't help but lament.

"These contraptions are useless for communication."

"Hey- we're communicating with each other right now." Sam reminded him. "They seem to be doing their job just fine. So, why were you trying to reach me?"

"My brother is being unreasonable." Castiel complains. Sam feels a sharp pain of loss at the memory of how many times he's said those words about Dean growing up. "He wants to meet you."

"Oh," Sam wonders what he should say to that. He hadn't thought too much about the mysterious Gabriel, the janitor, that Castiel lived with. "I would love to meet him."

"No, you wouldn't." Castiel growls, sounding more annoyed than Sam has ever heard him. It's funny how family seemed to be able to make anyone angrier than they usually got. Sam always feels a bit better about his own dysfunctional lot when he notices everyone else is the same way. "Gabriel is very ... protective."

For one minute Sam feels his throat get thick at the unreasonable fear that Gabriel might know about the fact he kind of, slightly, likes his little brother. That's ridiculous of course. Sam has never even met Gabriel.

"So; you don't want us to meet?" Sam says, trying to understand what it is that Castiel wants to happen. He can hear a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone.

"No, it would probably be best to get this over with." Castiel says. "Gabriel has already told me to tell you to meet us at Reflections at ten tomorrow night, or that he would unleash his wrath on you."

"Okay, well, would it be okay to bring Jess?" Sam asks, feeling too exposed and willing to admit that he is completely using Jess as a safety blanket. In the past he would have pestered Dean to take him, but he viciously shoves that thought aside.

"Of course," Castiel says, but Sam is sure he can hear a slight hesitation, and he feels like a bit of an ass for dragging Jess along.

"Okay, so tomorrow at ten." Sam confirms. "I'll see you and your brother then."

* * *

It is a gay dance club. Sam feels completely exposed, as if he had a huge sign around his neck stating he's gay. He isn't sure if that's what is bothering him, or if the problem is how okay he seems with the idea of being out and proud. Jess is beside him and seems much more relaxed than he does.

When he spots the awkward, straight shoulders in a familiar trench coat, Sam feels so much better, because no matter how awkward he feels there is no way he can look as awkward as Castiel does as he stands, in full trench coat garb, in the middle of half-dressed men- all dancing around him. Making a beeline, Sam reaches out and grabs Castiel's shoulder.

Castiel smiles when he turns around and looks up at Sam. The music is so loud, Sam can't really hear what Castiel says, but he points at a thirty-something male dirty dancing between four different men and Sam understands that to mean that that is his brother.

His brother is wearing pink sparkles.

"I'm going to grab a drink, anything you want?" Sam asks.

"I don't know, what's good?" Castiel asks.

"I'll surprise you," Sam says. "How about you, Jess?"

"The regular."

His ass is grabbed three times on his way to the bar, and he can't help the shot of thrill as one man winks at him from across the bar. He has never allowed himself the chance to think he had a shot with men. He was just some short kid who went through a freak growth spurt and most of his life he had been all gangly arms and legs. Of course, Sam has noticed that that description hasn't really fit him for over a year; not since he filled out more and doesn't seem so awkward anymore, even though he still feels that way inside.

Feeling a bit warmed, he manages to squeeze himself back to where Castiel and Jess stand awkwardly in the middle of the dance floor. Passing out the whiskey sours, Jess points at an empty booth in the back corner. Nodding, the three of them make it to the back of the room without incident. He is happy to see that Castiel seems to get along with Jess just fine, which of course makes sense- everyone gets along with Jess.

"I'm not sure about this drink," Castiel said, after finishing the whiskey sour with the same swift single gulp that he had first drunk the coffee with. Sam just watched his bobbing Adam's apple with fascination.

Not to be out done, Sam downed his cocktail too and almost choked on one of the ice cubes.

"Let's try a few different ones then," Sam suggested.

Gabriel made it to their table somewhere between the mojito (which Castiel did not like and Sam wasn't surprised because of the whole mint thing) and beer. Castiel seemed completely unaffected by the whole thing, but Sam was feeling nicely warmed, and his nose felt nice when he touched it.

"Well, little brother, these are the people you are hanging with is it? Sorry I didn't come over earlier, was getting my pipes cleaned if you know what I mean?" Gabriel said, smiling lewdly down at both Sam and Jess.

"This is my brother Gabriel," Castiel said. Sam felt Castiel slightly stiffen as he said that, because he was slightly sprawled on the man, and Sam thought he should probably sit up and stop leaning on his friend. But his friend was warm and very nice to lean on, so he didn't bother.

"So, Sammy," Gabriel said with delight as he took a seat beside Jess.

"It's Sam," he snapped, unable to hide the hurt of being called Sammy again and by a stranger no less.

"You a student then?" Gabriel asked, completely overlooking Sam's anger, which was stupid because Sam was fairly sure he could take this guy down in a fight.

"Yes, pre-law," Sam said.

"Right, and what's your last name?" he asked, and he once again could feel Castiel stiffen.

"Winchester," Sam said proudly.

"Huh," Sam watched as Castiel and Gabriel seemed to share a glance of some sort, but Sam couldn't work out what it meant. "Castiel did always like to try to adopt the interesting ones."

"I met Sam when you forced me to drink coffee," Castiel said suddenly, and Sam wasn't drunk enough not to notice an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"All I said was you should learn to fit in a bit more, and maybe do something normal like being able to order coffee," Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Our family is a bit backward, see. Poor Castiel here was the baby and all our brothers and sisters like to think anything outside of the family is not good enough."

The thought of the unknown siblings making Castiel upset made Sam angry. Placing his hand on Castiels thigh as a sign of support seemed like a good idea, but then Castiel looked so frightened that Sam quickly removed is and tried to smile apologetically.

"More drinks?" Jess suggested.

"Oh, just sit right there milady," Gabriel said, winking her way. "Drinks on me tonight."

With a snap of his fingers it was as if the waiter magically appeared from around the corner and Sam saw Castiel roll his eyes. Sam didn't mind though. Between the Smirnoff Ice and rum based drink Sam couldn't remember the name of; Sam thought Gabriel might be the funniest person he had ever met. He had both Sam and Jess laughing so hard from tall tales about being trapped in a mansion after a particular sexual act and hiding from butlers. Even Castiel started to loosen up and slightly chuckle at a few of the different stories.

After the sangria things got a bit fuzzy. He remembered Gabriel convincing everyone to go to the dance floor, and he remembered wrapping his arms around Castiel as he tried to dance pressed up against him, and he could remember Jess telling him that cacti were weird, and everything was a flashing whirl of bright lights, loud music and laughter.

He could also remember the end of the night, when both he and Jess were leaning on Castiel t support their full weight as they stumbled down the street.

"They are your humans, you take care of them," he remembered Gabriel saying. And he distinctly remembered thinking - who the hell was he calling human? Then the next thing he knew he was puking his guts out in the dormitory bathrooms and crashing half off the bed, so his head could just dangle above the empty garbage pail.

A knock on door made his head pound as Sam staggered out of bed and opened the door. But on the other side was not an equally hung over Jess, but a completely un-hung over Castiel and Sam felt it wasn't fair that Castiel seemed completely fine when he felt he was about to die.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Castiel said.

"Sure, um, come in," Sam said, stepping back and letting Castiel in. It was only when the other man was inside his room that Sam realized this was the first time since anyone other than Jess had ever been there. He watched as Castiel's eyes roamed over the stack of text books, Sam's computer, the empty shelves that most students would have personal knickknacks in, but not Sam. He thought of how plain the room was, and couldn't help but realize how very neutral it was, much like the motel rooms Sam had been raised in.

"You okay this morning?" Sam asked.

"Of course," Castiel said so matter-of-factly that Sam couldn't help but laugh slightly even though it made his stomach hurt a bit.

"Well, then you're lucky. I don't know why I thought mixing all of those would be a good idea," Sam groaned, flopping down on his bed. "I feel like hell."

"How may I help?" Castiel asked.

"Want to grab a breakfast with me?" Sam suggested. "I think it will help to try to get something down."

"I would like that."

Sam couldn't help but smile when Castiel ordered and drank a coffee without flinching. He in fact seemed to quite enjoy the cup, and Sam felt only slightly bad about creating a caffeine addict.


	3. Chai Tea Latte

_AN: The end! Please be aware that the M-content is found in this chapter. Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this fic! Be sure to check out my links in my profile, you can view the art for this work through my livejournal account. So, thanks again! Hope this doesn't disappoint. _

* * *

**Part Three: Chai Tea Latte**

The pre-law dinner was as stuffy and horrible as Sam had feared it to be. Most of the student came from wealthy families with long legacies dating back generations. Sam barely had twenty dollars and a scholarship fund he had to keep by fighting tooth and nail to maintain his marks higher than any trust fund kid. It was a completely different world and the only thing that made the whole evening bearable was having Castiel beside him, still stubbornly in his trench coat even after Jess tried to convince him that it wasn't the right place to wear it. Sam was happy that Castiel kept it. He was happy to have someone beside him that wasn't afraid of sticking out or not belonging.

By the end of the night, as they walked back to Sam's dorm, he could help but laugh as he and Castiel discussed all the different people and how awkward parts of the night had been. Feeling bold and reckless, Sam hugged Castiel close, and whispered his thanks in his ear. Smiling to himself, he slipped back into his room after the perfect night.

"You're pathetic, you know that right?" Jess asked.

"What?"

"You should have kissed him."

"It's not like that, we're just friends," Sam denied, resolutely typing his essay, even though half his brain was on the night before and several what ifs.

"You are going to die old and alone if you don't grow a pair and make a move, you know that right?" Jess asked. "Even Gabriel agrees."

"You've been talking to Gabriel about this?" Sam asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course, I needed to get someone else on operation love struck," Jess explained. "We figured if you don't make a move by Valentine's Day then we would lock you in a closet until we heard lot's of happy sounds."

"There is something wrong with you two."

"Why? Because we want to see two people we love happy and we happen to be fairly certain that means being together?" Jess asked.

"Don't you have an exam tomorrow?" Sam asked, trying to change the subject.

He didn't need Jess or Gabriel to be on his case about his feelings for Castiel. He knew his fondness for the strange man was growing, that he was falling deeper and deeper. At nights when his hands would drift under the elastic string of his pajama pants and cup and pull at himself, his mind would go back to those drunken bits of memory, the tactile reminder of pressing his body against Castiel's and rolling his hips in time with pounding music. He would come apart with Castiel's name on his lips.

Yes, he knew that he was too far gone to turn back now.

All that mattered now was how Castiel felt and Sam wasn't sure if it was reciprocated and he didn't want to lose one of the only friendships he had because of some stupid crush. There was no way Sam could risk it.

* * *

The approach of Christmas offered an interesting dilemma. Residences were closed over the break, but Sam had no home to go back to, and hadn't been in contact with either Dad or Dean since that awful August night. Jess offered him a place with her family, but he couldn't bring himself to accept the offer. It was tempting to go and pretend he knew how normal people celebrated the holiday season, to know what it was like to actually get presents that weren't stolen from the thrift store down the street. But it also felt like a betrayal, a slap in the face to the risk Dean had taken to try to put together a Christmas growing up. Even though, Dean had not bothered trying to celebrate Christmas in the past four years, claiming to be too old and too cool for such a lame holiday. Sam wondered what Dean would be doing that Christmas, and he was halfway through dialing when he remembered his Dad's words and he simply flipped his phone shut, jammed his hands in his pockets and knocked on Castiel's door.

Sam had been wrong about Gabriel and Castiel living together. Apparently Gabriel had simply gotten his brother his own place so he wouldn't "cramp his style." If Sam had thought his place was sparse it was nothing to Castiel's apartment. Despite being huge, it had very little furniture and everything that was there was a necessity, such as the fridge and the bed. Castiel had set up a cot in his completely empty second bedroom for Sam to sleep on.

There were no Christmas decorations up.

"Thanks for letting me stay," Sam said, setting his bag down and turning around to face Castiel. "I wasn't really sure where I was going to be able to stay."

"Jess would have taken you," Castiel pointed out factually.

"Yes, but I didn't want to intrude on her time with family," Sam said, and he was relieved that Castiel didn't seem insulted by it at all. He simply nodded. "Anyways I brought you a new type of latte to try; I think you'll like it."

Handing Castiel the take-out cup from Perks, he watched as Castiel took a deep gulp of the beverage. As he swallowed, he let out a huge moan of satisfaction which sends a thrill of pleasure right down Sam's spine and straight to his cock, which made him awkwardly half-hard standing in Castiel's spare bedroom. He watched in unbridled fascination as Castiel closed his eyes and took another drink of it, watching his throat work as he tipped the cup back a bit and then lapped his tongue at the opening.

Castiel could make drinking take-out coffee a porn industry on its own. Sam couldn't remember the last time he had gotten this hard from watching someone drink a latte ... actually he didn't think he had ever been hard due to anyone drinking a latte. Sam blamed all the happy moans.

"Like it?" Sam asked, trying to keep it light, but his voice was deep and husky when it came out. Luckily Castiel didn't notice, he was too happy savouring his drink. By the time he was done, Sam wished he could ask for a bit of privacy as he took care of some much needed business. But Castiel wanted to know where Sam was thinking of eating and the next thing he knows they are ordering Chinese food and Sam is trying to convince Castiel to watch Buffy.

By the time the evening had arrived, Sam was thoroughly content to prop his laptop on Castiel's big bed as they leaned their heads in together to watch the first episode of Buffy and for Castiel to complain how inaccurate it all was. As the episode was finished, Sam stretched his muscles, and caught a glimpse of something he hadn't noticed before.

"Castiel ... is that a mistletoe?" Sam asked.

Castiel looked up and Sam could see him frown at the little plant.

"I believe so, I do not know why but Gabriel was very insistent that I put that up. He said it was good luck," Castiel explained.

"You do know that traditionally two people under mistletoe have to kiss right?" Sam asked.

"So we must kiss?" Castiel asked.

Smiling nervously, Sam went for a quick peck on the cheek, but Castiel apparently had other ideas. With a surprising firm grip, he grabbed Sam's head and mashed their mouths together. It was messy and awkward, but Sam wouldn't change it for the world. He simply relaxed and let Castiel discover how to make it pleasurable, how to flick his tongue and move his lips against Sam's. It was like the other man didn't even need air, he just kept kissing and kissing until Sam couldn't help but to move closer, to place his hands on Castiel's lower back and bring him closer.

When Castiel finally moved his lips away, Sam couldn't help but tentatively lick along the jawline and marveled at how responsive Castiel was, as he arched his neck back and let Sam attack his neck with nips and licks that were sure to leave marks. Rolling them slightly so that he was on top of Castiel, Sam couldn't help but feel a thrill at the hard length pressed up against him.

He wondered how experience Castiel was, if he should say this was his first time with a man, but then Castiel mimicked what Sam had done to his neck and Sam was arching back, pressing their hard lengths together, making the ache intensify with every roll of his hips.

Suddenly there were too many clothes. Castiel's trench coat was thrown across the room, and shirts were unbuttoned. As each piece of skin became available, Sam was happy to pay it special attention, making Castiel moan as he had with the Chai Tea Latte. It is perfect. Pushing the shirt further away, Sam is able to flick at his nipples and watches as Castiel squirms. He wonders how he could have ever thought this man was emotionless, not now as he arches up from beneath him, as he slips his hand under Sam's shirt and practically claws at his back with blunt finger nails and digging into the muscles.

Sam's desperate to remove the layers now, to get the shirts and pants off. His hands shake with the need. Castiel raises his hips to allow Sam to slide his trousers and boxers off. Standing back, Sam takes in the sight of Castiel spread across his bed, naked and ready and beautiful. With those deep blue eyes following his every movement, Sam reaches down, and removes his own jeans and underwear, letting Castiel see him do it.

Sam takes a minute to enjoy this fantasy come to live. He kneels on the bed between Castiel's spread legs and with a shaking hand, he slides his palms up Castiel's inner thighs until he reaches the swollen cock. He palms and rolls the balls and watches as Castiel tosses his head back and closes his eyes. Sam wants to hear that moan again, the Chai Tea Latte moan.

Not letting himself think too much, Sam takes Castiel in his mouth. He goes too far down, and chokes a bit as the head of the cock hits his throat. He backs off a bit, trying to breath through his nose. He's never done this before. He's had one or two blowjobs under his belt, but he had always been the recipient. It's much different to have the weight of it pressed against his tongue, to feel his jaw ache to keep it open. But Castiel's moaning non-stop and so Sam tries to suck harder and jack the parts he can't reach with his mouth. The moans get louder and Sam presses himself against the mattress, desperate for some release but unwilling to let go of Castiel.

"Sam!" Castiel called out, his normally deep gravelly voice almost unrecognizable, only a deep growl that made Sam whimper and suck harder, his hands working the cock faster. He ignored the pain in his aching jaw. Castiel started thrusting his hips up a bit, but every time he did Sam could feel himself choking, so he moved his head back to work on the tip. Moving his tongue against the slit, he felt Castiel freeze below him as, without warning, Castiel shot his load into Sam's unexpecting mouth. Coughing and pulling away, Sam bit into the thigh to keep his own groan muffled. His had kept stroking Castiel through his climax, as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over him. Some of Castiel's release hit his cheek.

As Castiel's cock softened, Sam crawled up his body and straddled the prone figure below him. Hoping it would be alright, Sam looked down at Castiel with his messed up hair and flushed expression and started to jack himself off. He imagined spurting his release all over Castiel's chest and face, watching Castiel just take it, moaning as each splash hit him.

He could feel Castiel's iron grip on his legs, travelling up to cup his bottom and suddenly with a spurt of strength, Castiel pulled him forward, so that his privates were dangling right in front of his face. Sam braced himself against the headboard as Castiel leaned up and engulfed Sam's cock in his mouth. Reciprocating Sam's earlier actions, Castiel used one hand to roll the balls and stroke what his mouth wasn't able to reach. Sam couldn't help but thrust his hips forward, but Castiel seemed much better than Sam had been. Castiel didn't even hesitate to take him deeper, to stroke him faster, to cup his bottom and drag him closer. Gripping the headboard, Sam was able to do shallow thrusts as he fucked Castiel's mouth. It was so tempting to just snap, to see how much Castiel could take, but he didn't. He simply held on so tight his arms were shaking and he almost blacked out from the force of his climax.

Afterwards, as the evening light peered weakly in and onto the bed the two of them were sprawled naked in, Sam couldn't help but fling one arm over Castiel and cuddle in closer. Castiel turned towards him and allowed their bodies to be slotted together for the ample amount of cuddling.

"My family cast me out too," Sam said suddenly. He pressed his head against Castiel's and could see him staring at him, waiting for Sam to continue. "I wanted to go to school, to come here, and they didn't want me to, and so they told me to never contact them again."

"I disobeyed," Castiel admitted quietly. "I was giving an order not to get involved, but I did. If I didn't people would have been hurt. So they told me I was on my own."

"At least you have Gabriel," Sam said gently. "My brother didn't even ... I thought for sure he would have ignored Dad. I thought we were closer than that but he didn't. He just cut me out."

"Gabriel is a good brother, he was also cast out, he understands ..." Castiel admitted, his hands absently stroking Sam's sides. Sam pressed more kisses along Castiel's jaw line.

Sam presses in closer, let's Castiel hesitantly put his arm around him; let's himself forget about brothers and fathers and families. He can't tell Castiel about hunting, he wants to, but he's seen what happens to people. Once you know about it, it was impossible not to be dragged in. The last thing he wanted was to think of Castiel fighting monsters.

* * *

The next morning as Sam convinced Castiel to get a shower with him. Sam once again gets on his knees, ignored the pain of the shower tiles and takes Castiel in his mouth. It is a bit easier this time, and Sam is happy to see Castiel lose control and grip his hair tightly. Afterwards as Castiel recovered from his orgasm, he pulls Sam so his back was pressed against his front and strokes him to completion at a brutal pace that had Sam's head thrown back against Castiel's shoulder and his body thrusting into Castiel's grip. Pressing wet, open mouthed, lazy kisses against Castiel's neck he let the other man lead him out of the shower.

As Sam searched Castiel's place for food to make a proper breakfast, he got a text message from Jess.

_So how was last night with Castiel?_

For a split second he considered leaving her in the dark about the latest development, but then he thought about the months she had spent convincing him that it would be okay to make a move and trying to get them together. He figured he couldn't let his real first friend down in that way.

**_Great. Ends up he's very good with his mouth and his bed can certainly withhold a full night's activities _**

_Oh god, u serious?_

**_;)_**

_I hate u_

**_His dick is lovely._**

_FINALLY! Seriously was worried about u – u should have tapped that ages ago_

**_I got around to it_**

_Took u long enough_

**_How was ur night_**

_My little cousin ate too many xmas chocs and puked in the stuffing. It's been joyous_

**_Well, just think of me having sex while ur eating puke-stuffing_**

_Ew, gross, i would rather have puke-stuffing then see u naked_

**_Keep telling urself that_**

_Seriously hate u_

**_I better go – making bfast for Castiel_**

_Fine. Go be happy._

**_Bye!_**

_Bye. And congrats._

**_Thnx_**

There was nothing but cereal in the entire house, and so with two bowls of dry cereal completed and a grocery list compiled after finding out that Castiel had never been grocery shopping, Sam didn't think today could get any better. Then the door bell rang.

"So I hear you've finally popped your cherry!" Gabriel said, his voice booming all the way into the kitchen where Sam choked on the dry cereal and chased it down with some tap water. "About time little brother. Only been what? A few millennium?"

Sam rolled his eyes, and screwed up his courage before heading out to see Gabriel making himself at home on the sofa. His feet were propped on the coffee table and he spread his arms lazily over the back cushion.

"And there he is! The man of the hour!" Gabriel announced when he saw Sam.

"How do you know?" Sam asked. After all, it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since they had finally made their way into bed together.

"I have my sources," Gabriel smirked, waving a would-be –carefree hand around.

"Jess called you, didn't she?" Sam asked.

"Yep. Heard about her little cousin, now that is a kid that can't handle his candy," Gabriel quipped, whipping out several candies from his inside pockets and choosing one before popping it into his mouth.

"So you came over to tell me you knew I was having sex?" Castiel asked bluntly, not looking even slightly embarrassed.

"No, not really, I wanted to borrow back our family book," Gabriel said, sharing a meaningful glance with Castiel that went right over Sam's head. "Would you mind getting it for me?"

Castiel nodded jerkily, and left Sam along with his brother.

"So, what are your intentions with the baby of the family?" Gabriel asked, as soon as Castiel left.

"What?" Sam laughed.

Gabriel stood up slowly and stalked toward him. Suddenly there was something, almost elemental, that was absolutely terrifying about the man. As if he radiated a power and presence that was completely frightening to behold.

"What are your intentions?"

"Listen, I get you are looking out for you brother, and I can't promise anything but ... Castiel means a lot to me. I think I ... I care about him a lot. I don't know what more you want me to say," Sam admitted, looking on as Gabriel got closer.

"My baby brother has been through a lot. Our entire family has left him to his own devices and if it wasn't for me he would be dead by now. So I want to make this very clear. If you mess with him, or hurt him in any way, you will have the wrath of the gods raining down on you, do you inderstand?" Gabriel asked, his smile so lethal that Sam felt his stomach clench in fear.

"I would never hurt him, not if I could help it," Sam promised. "I would hate myself if I ever did. And I know about your family, Castiel told me."

"He didn't tell you everything, just like I know you haven't told him everything about your past," Gabriel said.

"We told each other enough," Sam said.

"You're a good kid Sam, I hope this works out for the two of you," Gabriel said, stepping back as Castiel came back with a backpack he gave to Gabriel. After he left, Castiel turned to Sam and asked what he had wanted to talk to him about. Sam told him about the threat and promise of wrathful vengeance, Castiel didn't think it was funny at all, but was unable to complain because Sam was slowly getting rid of his clothing.

* * *

That Christmas, Sam used his work key to break into Perks and make a special Chai Tea Latte for Castiel. They stripped each other bare in the back office, where no camera would catch them and got each other off with the enthusiasm of new lovers. Walking back, with his arms around his boyfriend, he could help but kiss him passionately as they passed by Sam's dormitory.

Breaking away from Castiel Sam thinks he catches a glimpse of a black impala. He doesn't know if it's his Dad or Dean or wishful thinking, but he tightens his grip on Castiel.

There is still so much he needs to come clean about, about his past and hunting and his family. He still doesn't know Castiel's past and he still needs to explain his own. But right now, he's just like anyone else, celebrating the holidays with someone he loves.

* * *

_AN: There will be a sequel to this one, but probably not for a few weeks (definitely after Christmas). Hope you all enjoyed! Don't forget to review. _


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